


Let's Ride Into the Sunset Together

by achievement_huntresss



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Crossover, Friendship, Gen, Humor, I wanted all my MCs to meet, Inspired by Fanfiction, Light Angst, and tumblr, broken steel dlc, far harbor dlc, title from a swing song
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-01-23 10:03:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12504892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achievement_huntresss/pseuds/achievement_huntresss
Summary: A mailman, a thawed TV dinner, and the Savior of the Capital Wasteland all walk into a bar.This is gonna be one hell of a story.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to get all my Fallout main characters to meet and interact don't @ me  
> Inspired by the amazing unpopcultural and their fic "The Road Ahead". GO READ IT!!!
> 
> I've never written a multi-chapter fic before so pls go easy on me
> 
> Title from the song "Let's Ride Into the Sunset Together" by The Lost Weekend Western Swing Band
> 
> Prologue is set a few months after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, rest of the story is set after the end of the main questline of Fallout 4 (Minutmen/Railroad affiliated ending)

-OUTSKIRTS OF NEW VEGAS, 6:15 AM, APRIL 2283-

"Ready to head out, ED-E?" Griffin asked, adjusting her hat to block the sun from her eyes. The robot in question beeped sadly and drooped slightly, slowing almost to a halt.

Griffin sighed. "I told you. I don't like staying in one place for too long. If you don't want to come with me on this caravan, you can stay behind. Ronnie'll take care of you."

At the mention of one of their other friends, ED-E let out a long bleep and nudged Griffin on the shoulder. She rolled her eyes. "You know I don't like goodbyes. Plus, you've seen Arcade and Cass in the morning. I'd rather go poking around in a Deathclaw nest than deal with them."

ED-E blooped and continued floating ahead. The caravan outpost was a five minute walk from the Strip, and Griffin wanted to get there as soon as possible. The caravan wasn't supposed to leave until 7:30, but Griffin was an anxious woman. She liked to be on time to things, to scout out for potential threats or accidents waiting to happen. IT was a habit she'd picked up from years of being a courier and trekking around the Coast in her youth. Griffin also wanted to sneak out of the Lucky 38 without anyone noticing, not that she was scared of confrontation from her friends or anything.

Not scared at all.

As the duo approached the caravan outpost, Griffin could just barely make out a couple of carts and Brahmin, along with a couple of mercenaries sitting in the shade playing a game of cards. She walked up to the shack to meet with the caravan leader and sign on to the job officially. Griffin had met her in the Tops a few weeks ago, a sturdy woman, older than Griffin would probably ever be. Mrs. Jones, as she'd introduced herself as, told her that they'd be heading East, through the desert and to Lone Star, a large settlement in the South Junction.

"There's a fightin' arena out there. You could probably find a way to make some extra caps if we get too borin' for ya," Mrs. Jones had said, sipping her whiskey. "Or there's some more caravans at the Alamo. Courier like you's bound to get hired."

'As long as it's not here,' Griffin had thought as she said she'd think about it, thanks for the offer. Mrs. Jones had shrugged. "No skin off my back kid. We leave in 3 weeks. Either you're in or you're out."

Now, in the present, Griffin signed her name on the contract, ensuring that she'd be a merc protecting Mrs. Jones and the other traders for a decent amount of caps. She honestly didn't care about the caps, she just wanted out of Vegas. Griffin was a natural wanderer. If she stayed in one place too long, she got antsy. Over her 22 years of life, she'd been to several settlements, either by herself or on a caravan. Before Vegas, she'd been to Circle Junction, New Reno, Vault City, Fort Abandon, and on brahmin drives at the Big Circle. She'd explored Utah and most of California in her late teens, and picked up odd jobs to make herself useful on caravans.

"What skills are you bringing to the caravan?" Mrs. Jones asked, taking the contract back from Griffin.

Griffin shrugged. "I'm good with guns and I can repair a couple of things. I also speak a coupl'a languages, like Spanish and some Native tongues," ED-E nudged her arm and she chuckled. "And Robot too."

Mrs. Jones smiled. "Well, you already signed your life away." Noticing Griffin's look of alarm, she laughs and said. "Just an expression. You and your robot are on our payroll. Get all your things ready, say your goodbyes, and be ready to leave at 8."

"Thank you ma'am," Griffin said, turning to leave. ED-E beeped respectfully and followed her out.

"And where do you think you're going, fucker?" A familiar voice said, as Griffin stepped out of the shack. Her stomach dropped to her feet.

Standing in front of the shack were most of her friends, some looking like they'd just woke up and almost all of them looking angry (except Boone, that was just his neutral face). "Uh... Hey guys. How are y'all doing this morning?"

ED-E beeped regretfully. Griffin turned to face him. "You told them?!"

Veronica stepped forward. "It wasn't his fault! We noticed you were acting distant so we asked him if you were okay." Cass yawned widely. "Yeah, and he told us you were running away, as usual."

"Ease off, Cass," Boone said. "I'm sure she has a good explanation." Griffin barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes.

"Aren't you supposed to be with the rest of the 1st Recon?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Boone. He shrugged. "Veronica told me they were planning an intervention and I should be here."

Griffin scanned over the group. Raul, Arcade, Boone, Cass and Veronica. "What, no Rex?"

"We didn't want to take him back from the King after he just got him back," Arcade said. "But I suppose it makes sense why you gave him back the other day."

Raul whistled. "So you draw the line at kidnapping a dog? Mierda, boss, your morals never cease to amaze." Griffin glares at him.

Veronica clears her throat. "Griffy, we just want to know why you're leaving Vegas. We didn't even know about the caravan until we got here. Are you... are you leaving the Mojave?"

"I..." Griffin hesitated, not trusting her voice. "Yeah. I am. Probably for good."

Cass scoffed. "Fucking told you, Ronnie." 

"Shut up Cass," Veronica said, glaring at her. Then she turned back to Griffin. "Why are you leaving? Is it because of Lily?"

The mention of the grandmotherly super mutant made Griffin's heart clench. Lily had continued taking her medications at half doses, and eventually told the group that she wanted to go back to California to find Vault 17 and find out more about her past, before she was part of the Master's army. The day she'd left, Griffin had cried for the first time in years.

"Of course not," Griffin snapped. "I just... I'm not meant to settle down and stay in one place. I've never stayed in one place for more than a few months. I've been in the Mojave for over a year."

"So you're leaving because you're restless?" Arcade asked, quirking his brows.

Griffin resisted the urge to yell at him. "I guess so."

Cass started to say something, but surprisingly, Boone spoke up. "Then you'd better get going."

Five pairs of eyes stared at him in shock. "You-You're letting her go?" Cass asked, incredulously.

Boone shrugged. "If it's what she wants to do, we can't keep her here. Plus, Griffin's had my back for years. She can handle herself."

"I understand the need to not stay in one place, boss." Raul said, and Griffin remembered the long nights by the campfire out in the wasteland, Raul telling her his stories of vigilantism and protecting other people all along the Southwest. "Be careful out there," he said, with a (slightly unsettling) rotten grin. "They're not nearly as nice as we are out East."

Griffin smiled, and was about to reply when Ronnie rushed forward and nearly tackled her into a tearful hug. "We're gonna miss you! You'd better come back to visit us!"

"I will," Griffin lied, not wanting to break the poor girl's heart again. She patted Veronica on the back and looked at Cass as if to say 'get your girlfriend off of me'.

Cass crossed her arms. "I can't believe everyone's just letting you go like this."

Arcade shrugged. "Honestly, the less you come to me with injuries a stimpak could fix, the happier I'll be." Veronica glared at him and he put his hands up in surrender. "I'm only joking. But seriously, stock up on stimpaks. Good luck out there."

Veronica finally let go of Griffin and walked over to Cass to have a conversation out of earshot. Raul clapped a hand onto Griffin's shoulder and said a few words of encouragement in Spanish. Arcade approached her next and shook her hand, slipping a few chems her way with his usual smug smirk, saying "you'll need these."

To Griffin's surprise, Boone actually slung an arm over her shoulder and gave a rare smile. "You always had my back out here, Griff. I hope you'll remember everything I taught you."

"Shoot first, ask questions later?" Griffin laughed, ED-E beeping joyfully.

"You got it, kid. And ED-E, keep an eye on her, will ya? We all know she has a knack for getting into trouble." Boone said.

ED-E beeped in affirmative, and Griffin was sure that if the robot had hands, he'd be saluting the sniper.

Boone walked over to where Raul and Arcade were standing awkwardly. Cass and Veronica walked over, the former still looking a little pissed. Veronica nudged her towards Griffin.

"I'm going!" Cass snapped at Ronnie, then faced Griffin and sighed. "Look, I'm not angry at you. Well, yeah. I kind of am. But I'm just a little angry that you're leaving after everything you did for us. For me." She sniffled, and the fact that Rose of Sharon Cassidy was crying over her hit Griffin square in the chest. "And you were going to leave without saying goodbye. That hurts, Griffo."

Griffin chuckled at the old nickname. "I don't like goodbyes. I'm sorry. But I promise I'll do my best to come back to visit. I just gotta stretch my legs, y'know? I've seen so much and yet there's still so much I have to explore." Her voice was cracking.

Cass grabbed her into a hug and Griffin held her for what felt like ages (but was probably just a few moments). "Take care of yourself, Griffin. And if you don't come back to visit, I'll track you down and kick yer ass back to wherever the hell you came from." Cass pulled away and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"I'll come back. I promise." She hesitated. "Ronnie?"

"Yeah Griffy?"

"Could you give Rex some extra belly rubs for me the next time you see him?" Griffin's voice cracked again and she winced. "And if Lily comes back while I'm gone-"

Ronnie grinned. "I'll tell her you'll be back soon." Griffin sniffed and smiled.

Mrs. Jones stepped out of the shack and started yelling at the traders and mercs to pick up their stuff and get ready to go. Griffin turned to her friends. "I guess this is it for now."

Raul gave her a thumbs up. "Buena suerte, boss."

Griffin smiled at her friends one last time and waved goodbye, turning to help pack up the caravans, ED-E following behind her.

She'd be back soon.


	2. Chapter 1

-SANCTUARY, 8 AM MARCH 2288-  
Nate awoke to banging on his bedroom door. His body jolted and he reached for his pistol out of habit, before a voice forced him to relax.

"General!" Preston called through the door, sounding slightly panicked. "Sorry to wake you, but it's urgent!"

"I'm up, I'm up. Give me a few minutes and I'll meet you outside." Nate said, sitting up. Preston mumbled his affirmative and Nate could hear him walking away. He groaned and flopped down, covering his eyes. 'I swear to God if it's another trader at the gates who wants to talk to me...', he thinks to himself, standing up to get dressed.

The entire Sanctuary settlement had been on edge recently. No, scratch that, the entire Commonwealth had been on edge. Ever since the Institute had been destroyed, the boogeyman of the Commonwealth was just suddenly gone. The accusations towards people being synths had slightly decreased, and amends had been made with some communities of Minutemen and some Synths.

Unfortunately, other settlements still refused to even speak about synths, let alone having trade with them. Nate and the rest of the Railroad had been working themselves to the bone getting former institute synths into safe settlements or out of the Commonwealth completely. The Minutemen, although respectful of the Railroad, mostly stuck to the settlements and protecting them from raiders, rarely offering help to get synths to safety.

Nate was rarely in Sanctuary, usually spending his time at the Castle or at the Railroad HQ, or running around the Commonwealth helping out Minutemen Settlements when they needed it. When he was back at Sanctuary, he usually spent his time repairing things, helping new settlers, hanging out with his companions, and spending time with Shaun.

There's a horrible, quiet voice in Nate's head that sounds a little like Elder Maxson that says "he's not your son, he's not your son, he's not your son-"

'Shut up,' he told the voice. Nate didn't like to think about the Institute. He really didn't like to think about Father or the boy that now called him dad.

Nate walked out the door and was greeted by Codsworth. "Good morning, sir."

"Morning, Codsworth. Do you know what's going on?"

"Not a clue, sir. Although I do have a message for you from Miss Piper."

Nate raised an eyebrow. "What did she say?"

"She's returned to Diamond City to be with her sister. But she said that you could come visit her anytime for an interview." Codsworth said airily. Nate sighed. First Nick, now Piper. He felt like he was losing friends faster than he could make them. Strong had wandered off after the Institute was destroyed and no one had seen him since. Deacon was off doing "top secret stuff" for the Railroad nowadays. It'd been nearly two weeks without seeing or hearing from him.

"I'm going to go check out what's going on with Preston," Nate said, walking past Codsworth. He walked down the ruined street towards the main guard post and gate, occasionally waving to settlers who greeted him.

Preston jogged up to him once he got close. "General!"

"What's going on, Preston?" Nate asked, trying to sound less tired than he felt.

"There's a courier here. Says she has a message for you, your eyes only," he scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "And, uh... she's kind of..."

Nate raises an eyebrow. "Kind of what?"

"You'll see." And with that, Preston opened the gate and nodded. Nate walked out and was greeted by... a cowgirl.

Well, the woman standing in front of him looked like one fresh out of those old movies Nora liked to watch and make fun of. An old cowboy hat perched on her head, with a six of spades playing card tucked into the band. The woman had her blonde hair braided into two braids with a faded red bandanna covering her forehead and her eyes were covered by a pair of dark sunglasses. She wore a long black duster and what looked like police riot gear, and a pair of worn brown cowboy boots. A slightly banged-up eyebot floated behind her. She had a smile on her tan face and a letter in hand.

"You Nate?" She asked. She had a slight southern twang, which was just the cherry on top of the whole thing.

Nate let out a laugh before he could stop it. "Sorry, yeah I am. Who are you?"

"Just a courier. Something funny?" Her smile dropped from her lips. Nate instantly felt bad.

"No. Well, yes. Sorry we just don't have a lot of cowboys around these parts." He coughed awkwardly.

The woman stared at him for a moment, then chuckled. "Guess you're right about that. I'm a long way from home." She hands him the letter.

"From a guy hanging 'round the caravan hub in Diamond City. Sunglasses, obviously fake pompadour. Said it was urgent."

So Deacon was okay. Nate nearly opened the letter, but then thought better of it in front of someone he didn't know. Speaking of...

"What's your name?" Nate asked, opening the gate and offering her entrance. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"Name's Griffin Kelley. Y'all got anything besides Nuka Cola?" She sneered. "If I'd known there was nothing to drink out here besides that mess, I'd've stayed out West."

"You're from out West?" Nate asked, suddenly curious. "I didn't know there were other cities left intact."

Griffin snorts. "Not a lot of 'em, but I've seen a lot of the country in my life. Get me something to drink sometime and I'll tell you all about it." She smiles and starts looking around Sanctuary, the eyebot following her, beeping quietly.

Nate lets her wander off and opens the letter.

"Whisper-  
It's about time to come back to church, we have some new friends in the congregation.  
-Deacon  
PS: Bring the courier with you. I like her."

An excited shout takes his attention from the letter. Nate looked up to see Griffin petting Dogmeat behind the ears.

"You have a dog?" Griffin asked, eagerly. Nate almost laughed at the childlike look on her face.

"His name's Dogmeat. He was the first friend I made in the Commonwealth." Dogmeat barked, wagging his tail. Griffin's eyebot beeped and moved closer to the dog.

"Yeah, he does look like Rex," Griffin said to the eyebot.

"You can understand that thing?" Nate asked, surprised.

Griffin rests a hand on the eyebot. "His name's ED-E. We've been partners for a while."

"Well if you're done meeting my dog, I could show you around some more. Then I have to head out to meet up with the guy who sent this letter. You could-"

Griffin crosses her arms. "I'm coming with you. I need to get my payment from that guy."

Nate shrugs. "Alright, fine by me. You good at keeping secrets?"

Griffin smiles. "Depends on how much I get paid otherwise."

Nate suddenly regretted letting Griffin tag along. He'd yell at Deacon later.

It was gonna be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nate is an angsty boy but he pulls himself together for the Greater Good lmao we'll see how long that lasts
> 
> Also Griffin is my baby I love her
> 
> Also also I wonder who will be introduced next chapter?? Who is waiting for our heroes in the Railroad HQ?!


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rad storm kicks up and leaves Nate and Griffin stuck in a building for a few hours. They swap some stories and get to know each other.

-SANCTUARY, 9 AM MARCH 2288-  
Nate led Griffin through Sanctuary, pointing out certain landmarks, like the barracks or the bath house, over his shoulder as they went. Dogmeat was walking at her heels, sniffing her hand and licking her fingers, much to Griffin's amusement. Most of Sanctuary's residents were bustling about, offering waves or greetings to Nate as he passed. No one commented on the strange cowgirl character following him, except MacCready, who raised an eyebrow but said nothing. They continued down the street until they reached his house.

"This is me," he said, turning to Griffin. "I'll just go grab my pack and we can-"

"Dad!" a voice exclaimed behind him. Nate turned in time to see a flash of red hair run past him. Shaun was next to him in an instant, looking up at Griffin in awe. "Who's your new friend?"

Before he could say anything, Griffin chuckled. "Name's Griffin Kelley, kiddo. What's your name?" She knelt so she was more on his level, and even removed her dark sunglasses. Nate was surprised with how young she looked underneath.

"I'm Shaun! Do you want to see my invention workbench? dad and Sturges made it for me!" Shaun was talking a mile a minute, and Nate smiled. He was so much like Nora, so excited and outgoing. 

Griffin smiled widely. "I'd love to! Your dad has to grab his gear, so I'm sure we'll have some time." She looked up at Nate, as if asking permission. He nodded.

Shaun whooped. "Come on, Dogmeat!" Dogmeat, ever the faithful boy's-best-friend, barked excitedly, and took off with the boy to the back of the house. Griffin stood and put her sunglasses on. "Take your time, Nate. We're good out here."

Nate nodded again, and Griffin walked to the back of the house. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and entered the house. His usual backpack for these sort of things, filled with medical supplies and plenty of ammo, was resting by the table, and his armor was resting on a counter. Nate put on his combat armor, deciding not to wear power armor (subtlety was key when meeting with the railroad), and put Kellogg's pistol into its holster. Righteous Authority found its place on the sleeve he'd sewn on the pack, and then he was ready to face the wasteland. It would take a few hours to make it to the HQ, but he didn't want to be caught without supplies in case of the freak weather that was famous in the Commonwealth. He slipped a few extra bottles of water and boxes of cram into his pack before leaving the house.

When he reached the back of the house, an adorable scene played out before him. Shaun was standing in front of his workbench, talking animatedly and showing Griffin his inventions. The woman was sitting in a backless patio chair, nodding enthusiastically and offering comments. Her hat and glasses were off, and she seemed very interesting in the invention Shaun handed to her. She held it in her hands and inspected it, turning it this way and that, and said something Nate couldn't quite hear. Her floating robot beeped excitedly behind her and she must have translated it to Shaun, who was staring at her like she was a movie star. Nate smiled, not wanting to ruin his son's fun. But they had a job to do, and needed to head out soon.

"Ready to go?" Nate asked, walking up to the duo. (Trio? Did the robot count? He wasn't sure.)

Shaun turned to him, smile as wide as the moon. "Dad! You'll never believe it! Griffin can speak ROBOT! She and her buddy Eddie talk all the time! They were giving me advice for my newest invention."

Nate laughed. "I'm sure she and her friend can help you more after we get back." Shaun nodded and tuned to the cowgirl, who was standing up from her chair.

"Don't forget to get me-"

"A toaster and a pressure cooker. I got'cha," Griffin said, flashing him a smile and finger guns. Shaun laughed. 

Nate hugged his son. "Be good while I'm gone, okay? And listen to Preston and Mac-"

Shaun rolled his eyes. "I know, dad. You be safe, alright?" Nate nodded.

"Well, it was nice to meet ya, Shaun! I'll get those components for you and we can hang out again when we get back," Griffin said, offering him a fist bump. Shaun bumped his knuckles to her and she made an explosion sound and fluttered fingers away, making Shaun laugh.

They walked back to the street, leaving Shaun to mess with his inventions again. They walked in silence to the gates, only Nate speaking to a few Sanctuary settlers and Preston along the way. He told Preston he'd be back soon, that Deacon need his help. Preston nodded and told him "good luck, General." Preston opened the gate, and the two walked onto the road.

"General, huh?" Griffin asked.

Nate turned to the side to look at her, and noticed she'd put her hat and sunglasses back on again. "Yeah, kind of a weird promotion. But I help Preston lead the Minutemen and help settlements around the Commonwealth."

She nods and it's silent for a beat before Nate speaks up. "You're pretty good with kids."

Griffin gets a soft smile on her face. "Yeah I guess. I just like how excited they are. Kids are always looking on the bright side, even in a shit situation like the Wasteland." She pauses, then looks at him, peering over her shades. "Shaun's a pretty smart kid."

"Yeah, he's very into taking things apart and putting them back together. Better keep an eye on your robot there, he almost took apart Codsworth when they first met before we stopped him." Griffin laughs.

"Gotta start somewhere. I used to do the same thing when I was his age. My Pa nearly had a heart attack when he found me taking apart our turret..." She trails off, her mind a million miles away. Nate coughs and she jolts, as if realizing where she was. "I'm sure ED-E wouldn't mind Shaun poking around a bit. He's due for a tune up soon anyways."

ED-E beeped mournfully behind her. She stopped and turned. "I know, buddy, but we gotta take care of you! Spare eyebot parts are hard to come by out here, and we can't just go back to the Capital Wasteland for a spare antennae or something." ED-E beeped again and Griffin relaxed. "You're right, bud. It'll be okay though. We'll figure something out."

"So you really can talk to it?" Nate asked. ED-E beeped again, sounding kind of angry. Griffin looked sheepish. "Yeah, I can talk to him. And he prefers actual pronouns, not it."

Nate looked at the floating eyebot. "Sorry."

ED-E beeped and wiggled. Griffin smiled. "He forgives you. Now, let's get going. I'm not really sure where we're going."

"Right. Just a few more miles this way. We'll be passing through the city soon, but I'm sure we can sneak past anything. You fine with that?"

Griffin nodded and ED-E lowered himself about a foot off the ground and let out some sneaky beeps. Nate chuckled, and the trio continued along.

\-----  
-CAMBRIDGE, 12 PM MARCH 2288-  
They'd just been passing by the Cambridge Police station when the sky started to rumble. Griffin looked up curiously as Nate cursed quietly. The air became much thicker, and the clouds started to turn a sickly green color.

"Come on," Nate said, grabbing Griffin's hand and pulling her towards the station. They just barely made it inside, with ED-E at their proverbial heels, when their Geiger counters started clicking off the charts. Nate sighed, glad he'd packed extra supplies that morning. He passed Griffin a Rad-X and took a couple for himself. She nodded in thanks and popped the pill, swallowing it dry. The two were silent as Nate stood by the door and fiddled with the radio on his Pip-boy. Nothing was coming in, due to the radiation, not even an distress signal or the Diamond City broadcast. 

"So-" Griffin said. Nate looked up. She was sitting up against the front desk, unraveling her (now-loose) braids, hat on the floor next to her and sunglasses hanging from the front pocket of her duster. He walked over and sat in front of her, ED-E floating nearby. Griffin rolled the sleeve of her duster to reveal her own Pip-boy. "How'd you get yours?"

Nate was taken aback. "What?"

"Well, I got mine from a doctor in the Mojave. He'd been a vault dweller before moving to the Wasteland. Didn't need it anymore." She shrugged. "Figured you're probably a vault dweller yourself, judging by the jumpsuit. Or you killed one and took his stuff."

"I..." He hesitated. Nate rarely told the story of Vault 111 to anyone, let alone some woman he'd just met that morning. "I was a vault dweller, yeah."

"Huh." Griffin studied him for a moment. "Yeah, I can kind of tell. You've definitely seen combat and stuff, but you're soft. You weren't born in the wastes."

"You can tell all that with just a look?" He asked incredulously. Griffin smiled.

"Met a lot of people in my time. A lot of vaulties and wastelanders alike. You can always tell who's who." She finished with her hair, and shook it out, the long blonde locks falling over her shoulders. She reached up and started to untie her bandanna, setting it next to her hat. Nate felt himself gaping open-mouthed at the round scar in the middle of her forehead, but it was hard to make himself stop.

"How did that happen?" He asked, before he could stop himself. He mentally cursed his tongue, always talking before his brain could think. "Sorry, you don't-"

"It's a long story," Griffin said, looking really tired. She leaned back so her head was resting against the desk.

Nate gestured to the door behind him. "We've got time. Storms last a long time out here."

Griffin took a deep breath before sitting up and searching in her pack. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter in surprisingly good condition. "You mind?"

Nate shook his head. She lit a cigarette and took a long drag. She exhaled and spoke up. "It all started with this goddamn courier job..."

\------  
-CAMBRIDGE POLICE STATION, 2 PM MARCH 2288-  
Nate was completely enraptured by Griffin's story, one of war and violence, but also of friendship and courage. She was patient too, answering his question and explaining factions or the situations behind certain bits of the story. About halfway through, ED-E had powered down, and she'd pulled out a screwdriver and some scrap electronics from her pack and continued talking, hands delicately rewiring the robot and fixing any problems inside of him. Nate was amazed by her tale, especially the people she mentioned. Not just the factions (although, he was very interested in a group called the Boomers, who apparently had access to a pre-war plane and had been integral for the NCR's success at the Dam, and very disbelieving of the Jacobstown settlement, apparently full of intelligent supermutants, or "Nightkin").

No, Nate was more intrigued by the companions of the famed Mojave Courier. Griffin had a soft look on her face, voice filled with gentle emotion as she told him about a 1st Recon sniper, a doctor with ties to a paramilitary fascist government, and a robotic dog that belonged to Elvis impersonators. He'd stared at her in disbelief as she told him of a "Nightkin" who thought she was her grandson, and a Mexican ghoul gunslinger who'd been around since before the bombs fell. Her voice broke when she mentioned that two of her companions had gotten together, and were pretty happy together: a former Brotherhood Scribe and a former Caravan Merchant. Griffin mentioned the last letter she'd gotten from them had been over a year ago, when she was traveling the Capital Wasteland.

"-And after I left the Mojave, I headed East. Hung around Lone Star for a while til it got pretty boring. I headed North, to where this tribe lived. They called themselves the Huskers and would fight in this huge stadium called the Memorial. They were pretty bloodthirsty, but the fights were pretty entertaining. Earned some good caps up there." Griffin smiled, flipping on ED-E's switch. He beeped to life, and nuzzled into Griffin's arm. "And then we passed through some more tribal land, mostly the Stone Faces, and the Wild Horses. They were pretty relaxed, and agreed to trade with us if we repaired some of their robotics. Headed East again, and came to the Moa, they lived in this huge pre-war shopping mall. Pretty good trading hub there, and we found work on a Caravan again. Headed South through the Dixie Wasteland, and ended up around Nawlins. They were a lot like Lone Star, full of people and traders. The Caravan continued East and we visited Orlando, which was kind of terrifying."

"How so?"

"It was a bunch of pre-war amusement parks connected by the trading hubs. They like... worshiped a dude in a creepy mouse costume." Griffin chuckled, seeming a little uneasy. "From there, we split with the Caravan and traveled up the coast. A lot of Enclave settlements around there, as well as Brotherhood. They were battling over some old Fort when we passed through, but we didn't really stop to investigate."

Nate raised an eyebrow. "Not a fan of the Brotherhood?"

"Not really," Griffin shrugged. "They didn't really have a foothold out West, but I really don't like their ideals. Technology shouldn't be hidden away from the everyday people."

"Yeah, I agree. Brotherhood isn't too popular in the Commonwealth either." He huffed a humorless laugh. "Well, they weren't I mean. We kind of blew them up."

Griffin's mouth fell open. "No way?"

"You finish your story, I'll tell you mine." Nate said, taking another sip from his water bottle. Griffin nodded.

"Right where was I... Oh right! Fort Bragg. So we kind of ran from there because we didn't want to get involved in some military pissing contest. Headed up to the Capital Wasteland and stayed for a long time. Like almost a year. They had some interesting characters there, and plenty of things to fight for caps. Also, cleanest water I've ever drank."

"And then you came up here?"

Griffin nodded. "Yeah, another Caravan. Took about a month, but I made it to the infamous Commonwealth. Was in Diamond city for about 3 days before your friend with the fake pompadour approached me," she spread her arms wide, in a 'tah-dah' motion. "And now I'm here!"

Nate shook his head in disbelief. "I'm about 90% sure you made most of that up. That's insane."

Griffin smirked and took a sip from her canteen. "Swear on my own grave it's true. Your turn now."

A sense of dread trickled up the back of Nate's neck. He was about to say some lame excuse when he noticed it was silent. "Hey, the storm's passed. We should head back out."

"Oh. Right." She sounded a little disappointed. The two stood up and stretched their suddenly aching joints. Griffin put her hat and bandanna on and Nate slung his pack back onto his back, and the two headed out the door. They walked in silence for a grand total of 5 seconds before Griffin piped up.

"You could tell me while we're walking!" Nate wanted to protest, wanted to tell her to stop trying to pry. But he didn't.

Instead, he told her everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 points to whoever can name all the places Griffin visited while traveling the United States!

**Author's Note:**

> Names, ages, affiliations, and weapon specialties  
> Lone Wanderer: Catherine, 29, Brotherhood of Steel (in the F3 story) and the Railroad (in this story), unarmed/melee weapons (power fist or Super Sledge)  
> Courier: Griffin Kelley, 22 in prologue, 27 in the rest of the story, NCR, literally any gun (Maria, Mysterious Magnum, or the Anti-Material Rifle)  
> Sole Survivor: Nate, 25, Minutemen and Railroad, guns and explosives (Kellogg's pistol, Righteous Authority, any grenade or mine)


End file.
